Cuttack, Nov. 25: Two artists today used the Bali yatra festival to send out a message of peace and harmony.

A sand art titled "Stop Terrorism, Save Humanity" by artists Sudarsan Pattnaik and Pramod Patnaik was the major crowd-puller on the opening day of the festival.

"Seven tractor-loads of sand have been used to come up with the artwork, through which we have paid tribute to those who have been killed in various terrorist attacks across the world. We hope our message to promote unity reaches the maximum number of people in the country," said Pramod Patnaik.

The duo have also created another 12ft sand art depicting the rich maritime history of Odisha.

"Besides standing united against terrorism, there is an urgent need to sow the seeds of trust between communities," said Sudhakar Swain, a visitor.

The Bali yatra festival gives traders from different parts of the country an opportunity to do business irrespective of their religion and cultural differences, Swain said.

According to the traders, who have come from Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and several other parts of the country, the bonding among them has only grown with time.

"We have been coming to Cuttack for the past six years for this event and there is already a bonding between the traders from different parts of the country. This is great," said Sk Abdul, a trader from Bengal.

The district administration, too, is satisfied with the arrangements made for the smooth conduct of the weeklong festival.

"We have been successful in expanding the area and are hosting the fair on around 40 acres this year. Special focus has been given on providing extra space between rows of stalls," said collector Nirmal Chandra Mishra.

Mishra said that over 70 temporary water tanks have been installed in different parts of the Bali yatra ground to provide safe drinking water to the traders and visitors.

Five temporary mobile toilets have also been procured by Cuttack Municipal Corporation. It is for the first time that such arrangements have been made at the fair.

"We have also formed a special squad to verify that the various joyrides at the festival are safe for the visitors," Mishra said.

This year, cultural programmes at the Bali yatra festival would be an added attraction, as troupes from Assam, Chhattisgarh and other parts of the country will be performing, said a district administration official. The authorities have also invited cultural troupes from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to take part in the festival and give it an international flavour.